FLOWERS ILLUSION

Yaroslav Levchenko is a painter who takes space, and the experience of it as his subject matter; primarily painting abstract or semi-abstract compositions derived from snapshots of very ordinary architectural motifs such as the kerb of a road, the grid on a sidewalk or the stop barriers of a parking lot. He evolves a clear, stripped down, painterly language using sober, neutral colours punctuated by the occasional instance of blood red, bright orange or pitchy black. Scrubby washes of paint in thinly applied hues work towards an implied conclusion, the approximation of a figurative image.
“ Flower illusion” collection diverting the viewers gaze to the outer edge of the painting and, in so doing, reminding the viewer of its function as a liminal container – these works are more figurative.
Levchenko’s work invests the sense of looking with renewed energy, opening up to the viewer the experience of a visual sublime. At the same time however, his works are humble and direct in their parameters, choosing subjects that are straightforward, clichéd even, such as the vanishing stretch of highway, or the brilliant gold of an autumnal tree.